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Desperately seeking my ski mojo

Jazza

Certified Ski Diva
To set the scene:
I am sitting in the passenger seat on our way home from St Anton, Austria to London. This has been my first ski trip post hip replacement almost 7 months ago. Prior to that, I had hip scopes to both hips in 2015 and 2017. I skied before and in between each surgery.

So I’m reflecting on this week’s skiing in terms of what went well and what didn’t in the hope of addressing some of the areas to work when I go back next month. Please do feel free to give me your thoughts etc as this forum has some amazing contributors!

So here goes!
good things:
- I got myself on that mountain! I’m pretty chuffed with that full stop!
- I went to a resort I know really well (I knew where I would feel comfortable which helped with confidence
and now all the not so good things that come to mind
- NERVOUS as hell! I guess there was an underlying angst of falling over or being wiped out by someone and injuring myself. Although I honestly can’t remember when I last fell over, this anxiety made me really tense. From there, all other evils flowed:
1: initially in the back seat. This got better (attacking hip to tip and ensuring my pole plants were near the tip)
2: glute and quad fatigue on the operated side. Not at all surprising given I have been seeing a physio for the past 6 months and work on core, glutes daily. Hip replacement is a big op ( they go through or separate your glute muscles). I imagine this was impounded by the back seat which meant I was not skiing as efficiently as I used to. Again, this got better but not consistently balanced.
3: on the white out day and one nil visibility morning I could not relax enough or trust my own ability to just feel my way. You know what I mean? I did not help that I knew there was a drop at the side of the piste and I could not see a bloody thing!
4: That led to the sin of (sometimes) rotating my upper body. I used to be really good at keeping my zip to the fall line. Not sure what happened there.
5: my boots. I am blaming tools per se. My boots used to be agony to put on (had to put them on the boot warmer for a couple minutes just to get them on without tears) but once on they were snug and pain free. I got the liner and shell moulded last year when I came back and getting them on now is much easier. However, there are new pressure points which were really painful. I also felt heel movement in my right boot (operated side) which I don’t recall before.

During the good moments when I was relaxed, things came together nicely on various slopes and conditions ( we had ice, fresh powder, white outs, glorious sunshine this week). Most runs turn into mogul fields by late morning and those were fine (except on one black run where the telly were huge and the surgeon’s caution came back to my mind!!).

Words of wisdom, advice, pointers welcome. I’ll look forward to trying them on 28/03.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
So here goes!
good things:
- I got myself on that mountain! I’m pretty chuffed with that full stop!
- I went to a resort I know really well (I knew where I would feel comfortable which helped with confidence
During the good moments when I was relaxed, things came together nicely on various slopes and conditions ( we had ice, fresh powder, white outs, glorious sunshine this week). Most runs turn into mogul fields by late morning and those were fine
Sounds like a very good start to me! Sticking with a resort you know well makes perfect sense.

Nervousness is natural after any injury, never mind major surgery followed by a lengthly rehab.

Are you thinking of doing any lessons?
 

Jazza

Certified Ski Diva
Sounds like a very good start to me! Sticking with a resort you know well makes perfect sense.

Nervousness is natural after any injury, never mind major surgery followed by a lengthly rehab.

Are you thinking of doing any lessons?
I will be going back to this resort next month for a short break. I am thinking of taking a lesson. Might not be the most sociable thing to do (it is a friend’s birthday so people a coming in from different countries) but I think it would be best. I took a lesson after my first surgery and it really helped my confidence. I think the main battle is all in my head as the new hip felt fine!!!
 

Salomon

Certified Ski Diva
I am in the same place. Telling my head that everything is OK and to sort myself out.
I found just doing easy runs worked. Get that technique back. Forcing my weight forwards and getting those shins tight up against boots when my head is yelling “ its gonna hurt”.
Relaxing is key, as you know, and thats easier on a shallow empty run until it becomes second nature.
I am not surprised your boots feel different . The muscles will have changed shape and I imagine after a hip replacement the way you stand will not be the same.
Keep going , it will come back !
 

Jazza

Certified Ski Diva
I am in the same place. Telling my head that everything is OK and to sort myself out.
I found just doing easy runs worked. Get that technique back. Forcing my weight forwards and getting those shins tight up against boots when my head is yelling “ its gonna hurt”.
Relaxing is key, as you know, and thats easier on a shallow empty run until it becomes second nature.
I am not surprised your boots feel different . The muscles will have changed shape and I imagine after a hip replacement the way you stand will not be the same.
Keep going , it will come back !
Hi Salomon,
thanks for sharing your experience! Always useful to know you are not alone (although I’d rather we were not going through this at all!).

Re the boots - you are not going to believe this ( and in fact after reading this you’ll no doubt ask yourself “how on earth did she not notice this?!).
- I bought these boots about 6 years ago and got custom footbeds
- when I got back from ski trip in 2019 I decided to get the shell / liner moulded

When they did the custom moulding they took my custom footbeds out. They replaced them into the liners right at the end of the process.

It turns out that the fitter put the custom beds back into the wrong liners. On top of that, he put the liners back in the wrong shells!

I took the boots to him last weekend, explained about the discomfort and we were discussing new pressure points etc when he went bright red and said ‘No wonder you were in pain. The liners and footbeds are in the wrong boot!!!’
When I reminded him he was the last person to play around with the liners, we had a good giggle!
Everything is now in the right place, got some heel retainers and now the boots feel great - snug race fit!!
 

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